This invention relates to a moldboard assembly having a flexible moldboard sheet that is adjustable at the discharge end to change the contour of the moldboard to control the flow of material through the moldboard, and the discharge of material therefrom.
Most conventional moldboards are formed from metal into a desired shape depending upon its intended use. In some cases, the moldboard is involuted to provide a flared discharge at one end for casting snow to one side of the propelling vehicle. A lightweight plastic moldboard has been developed by the present assignee which, unlike a steel moldboard, does not have to be laboriously bent to a desired curvature during manufacture. The plastic moldboard is simply molded or otherwise formed into a sheet of desired dimensions and the sheet is then mounted upon a movable support frame. The moldboard can then be contoured to the desired shape by adjusting the movable frame. This type of reversible moldboard is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,951 which issued June 13, 1989.
The above described moldboard, readily formed at both ends to discharge snow to the left or the right as desired, has been a great improvement over previously available moldboards and plows, and has allowed much greater flexibility in the plowing operation and much faster conversion from left hand to right hand discharge, as required by the particular wind conditions and/or space availability for discharge of the plowed snow. While this configuration has been very favorably received for large operations involving many different types of snow conditions and discharge requirements, it has been found that the apparatus can be somewhat expensive and complicated for simpler plowing requirements.